Counting Ten
by ILIWAPCT
Summary: BA has big plans! Will everything go according to schedule?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I, sadly, don't own any rights to the A-Team but I'm willing to bid if someone's selling!**

The black van jumped the exit ramp off the highway, catching serious air before cascading down onto all four wheels again. BA said a quick prayer that no major damage had been done. One arm shot out to brace himself on the dash as the steering wheel overcorrected, making the back of the van slide around on the road, kicking up dust and debris. The pedal hit the metal as soon as the tires found a straight path again and the van shot forward, pulling away a little from the flashing lights of the MP cars that were chasing them. BA would have been fine with all of the wear and tear on his baby, if only _he_ had been driving instead of his adrenaline-junkie CO. One glance at the kid-in-a-candy-shop grin plastered on Hannibal's face and BA held his seat belt tight with one hand and gripped the armrest with the other.

"Lemme drive, man! You gonna get us killed!"

Hannibal's grin widened as he floored the gas pedal again, shooting out into an intersection just as the light turned red. A symphony of car horns filled the air as the military sedan that was closest to them blew the light to keep up.

"Don't worry, BA. We'll lose 'em! Piece of ca-."

Hannibal jerked the wheel hard to the left, barely making the turn into a side alley as the rest of _that_ word died on his lips when another military car appeared in front of them, trying to cut them off. The chase car wasn't as successful and shot past the alley, crashing into their oncoming counterpart. The grating sound of metal on metal filled their ears and BA closed his eyes and said another prayer that the crash wasn't too bad. He looked up just in time to see Hannibal swerve a little too close to a street sign as they flew past. BA felt the shudder and heard the screech as the sign scratched the paint off his door.

"Now, BA…" Hannibal started, shooting a wary glance his way as he maneuvered out of the alley and into traffic again.

BA didn't respond. He'd fisted both hands and was trying to control his breathing. He kept telling himself if he slugged Hannibal now, they'd crash and the damage to his van would be even worse. He vowed to never leave his van in someone else's hands again, no matter how good a nice, cold carton of milk sounded. He'd been headed inside the convenience store, leaving Hannibal to pump the gas, when the military sedan had come screaming into the parking lot. BA had had no choice but to jump into the passenger seat and relinquish control over his pride and joy. From now on, he'd pump the gas and one of the damn fools could do the shopping.

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"Thanks, Sergeant. Don't forget check-in." Hannibal reminded him as he pushed the van door closed and headed towards his apartment. The use of rank was a subtle reminder of the standing order.

The spinning tires as the van peeled off was a not-as-subtle reminder that BA was still mad. He scowled. Sucker was lucky he hadn't ended up with a black eye after BA saw the jagged scratch down the side of his ride. And who did Hannibal think he was talking to - Face? As if BA had ever missed a check-in! Well, ok. But it was one time and he'd been unconscious so it shouldn't count. Almost three years since they'd escaped from Bragg and over eighteen months that they'd been hiring themselves out to people with unique problems and still Hannibal reminded them all about the 8am and 8pm check-in. Every. Single. Day.

BA pulled out into traffic and headed to what passed for home this month. Finally. The day that had never seemed to end was finally coming to a close. The sun was edging toward the horizon, stretching the shadows east. Thinking back to that morning, BA should have known the day would be doomed.


	2. Chapter 2

_BA's eyes snapped open with the first high-pitched yip of his next-door neighbor's, straggly little Chihuahua. The walls were paper thin and that dog was worse than a rooster, barking every morning at the first sign of light. BA sat up in bed and stretched. Dawn was just peeking around the edges of the window curtain, giving the room a slight glow. BA didn't mind being up before the sun. He had been doing it for most of his life anyway and today he had extra reason to be up and at 'em early. It was the third Tuesday of the month. The one day of the month that his momma would visit their old neighbor, Mrs. Hines. The Hines had lived in the same building as the Baracus' for years. Both families had kids that had grown up together and then moved on to live their own lives, to varying degrees of success. Virginia got married, Phil went to work in a factory and BA joined the army. Mr. Hines had died two years after Mr. Baracus' passing and Della Baracus and Mary Hines had remained close, even after Mrs. Hines had moved across town to live with her daughter. It was to Virginia Jones' house that Della travelled across the city every third Tuesday to visit Mary and also to use her phone. BA knew his momma would be there between the hours of 1 and 3pm Chicago time and if he was able, he would call from a payphone and he and his momma would have five whole, precious minutes to talk. He wasn't always able to call, usually because the team was off on some job, but he did his best. He knew his momma needed those brief calls for reassurance that he was still alive and well._

 _BA hadn't told the guys about his monthly call. He knew Murdock would understand and Face would pretend to but Hannibal was overly cautious about outside contact and if he knew about the phone call every month to the same location, BA worried that Hannibal would order him to stop and BA didn't disobey orders. Not from Hannibal, at least._

" _HOOOOOwwwwl"_

 _BA groaned as his thoughts were interrupted. It wasn't like him to get lost in thought. What_ was _, simply_ was _. He didn't waste time dwelling on things he couldn't change. BA got up and started his morning exercise routine. He was half-way through his last rep of push-ups when another howl barreled through the wall and crashed right through BA's concentration. Determined not to let the incessant noise disrupt his count, he blew air out loudly on the downs as he doubled his efforts to finish quickly._

 _The yips intermixed with the howls now as BA slowly counted to 10 in his head. He needed a shower and his morning milk before he could deal with that. He was determined to make sure today went smoothly._

 _Eighteen minutes later, BA emerged from the bathroom, dressed and ready for the day. He'd opted to go light on the gold as he was planning on spending the morning at the daycare center and he'd promised the kids he'd teach them how to fix a bike chain. Getting grease out of his chains was a tedious task that he avoided when possible._

 _BA checked his watch and headed for the living room. Several kids, who lacked paternal influences at home, were going to start showing up at the center with disabled bikes in just about an hour._

" _HOOOOOOWWWLLL-"_

" _Shut up, Fool!"_

 _Murdock broke off his conversation with the neighbor's dog as BA came out of the hallway. "Oh, hey Big Guy! You sure did sleep in. You wanna watch Woody with me?"_

 _Murdock was sprawled out on BA's couch, feet on BA's coffee table, cartoons on his TV and cereal, mostly in the bowl, propped on his lap. He smiled a goofy smile at BA, who started another 10 count in his head as he opted to glare in lieu of a verbal response. BA made his way to the kitchen and Murdock wisely stayed where he was._

 _BA poured milk into a big glass and replaced the carton in the fridge. The cartoons blaring from the TV were already giving him a headache. Murdock was supposed to have stayed at Hannibal's last night but at the last minute, he had called and asked BA if the pilot could stay with him. BA had reluctantly agreed. Ok, so he had flat out told Hannibal no but in the end, Hannibal always got what he wanted. Truth be told, BA didn't mind Murdock. Until 6:30 in the morning when he started having conversations with dogs._

 _Murdock called out from the couch, "Your neighbor's dog told me to tell you 'You're Welcome' for helping you wake up in the morning."_

 _BA put the milk away and grabbed a banana off the counter._

" _She said you sleep in all the time but she's been helping you get back on a routine."_

' _1, 2…'_

 _BA gripped the top of one of the kitchen chairs. Hannibal had ordered him not to kill Murdock this morning and there were - BA glanced at the clock on the stove - at least five hours until it technically wasn't morning anymore._

 _He walked back into the living room, milk glass and breakfast in hand. "What time'd Hannibal say he was pickin' you up, Fool?"_

" _Oh, he called while you were in the shower." Murdock sat up, spilling more cereal all over himself and the couch. "He got called into the studio and can't come this morning. He said he could meet us for an early lunch though. Isn't that great? We get to spend the whole morning together!"_

' _3, 4…'_

 _BA adjusted his plan slightly. He didn't have to go all the way to Morro Bay for the phone call. Bakersfield was closer and he hadn't ever called from there._

" _I promised the kids I'd be at the center this mornin'. What's Faceman doin'?"_

" _Face had a date last night."_

 _BA rolled his eyes._

" _I ain't goin' ta Face's if he's got a date there. Last time I interrupted one a his dates…" Murdock shuddered and quickly changed the subject. "But I love the daycare center! Are we doin' sports or story-time or ooh, arts and crafts?"_

 _BA mentally ran through his options only to discover he didn't have many. Other than leaving Murdock in his apartment, which was a mistake he wasn't willing to make again, he'd have to take him to the center._

" _Ok Fool, you can come but I'm droppin' you off for lunch with Hannibal. I got stuff I gotta do later."_

 _Murdock frowned. "I like stuff. I can do all kinds of stuff. I'm good at stuff."_

' _5, 6, 7…' BA looked at his watch. It was afternoon somewhere in the world._


	3. Chapter 3

Much later than he wanted to be leaving because he had made Murdock clean up all of his messes before they left and Murdock had insisted on making an origami dog for himself and for the stupid Chihuahua before he would lift a finger, BA was driving the van to the daycare center where he worked part-time whenever he could find time. Most of the kids that hung out at the center only had one parent, usually a mother, that worked at least two jobs to make ends meet, leaving the kids to their own devices most of the time. For a nominal monthly donation, the kids were able to hang out at the center after school and on the weekends, get help with their homework and socialize with their peers in a safe, supervised environment. BA had been lucky to have had his dad around for most of his childhood but he'd had plenty of friends that weren't as fortunate. Knowing how fast things could go south, he did what he could to help out in the neighborhoods that needed it the most and keep as many kids on the straight and narrow as possible.

Every month, after BA's rent and necessities were taken care of, he sent money to his mother, usually in cash since it was untraceable and then Face had set up accounts that anonymously donated to the daycare center in LA.

BA was doing his best to ignore Murdock, who was sitting in the passenger seat, playing with the little origami dog and recounting the 'conversations' he'd had with the Chihuahua this morning. Verbatim.

A little more than three hours until he could call his momma. BA wanted to make sure she was ok and the apartment didn't need too much work. Especially during the humid summer months. He was sure the windows would need to be caulked again before the fall.

"Uh-oh."

BA shot a quick look at the pilot and found him half hanging out of the passenger side window.

"Get back in here, Fool!" He yelled as he grabbed the back of Murdock's jacket with one hand and yanked him back inside the van.

"Turn around quick, BA. We hafta go back for Pierre!" Murdock was frantic, trying to twist out of BA's grip to look out the window again.

"Who?" BA was perplexed.

"My little dog, BA! What if it gets run over? No." he took a calming breath, "No, it's ok. Luckily, I taught it to flatten itself for protection. Oh, but the tire marks will never come out!"

BA had forgotten what number he'd last counted to so he just started over. '1, 2…' If he didn't let Murdock rescue the paper dog, he'd never hear the end of it and they still had a few minutes to get to the center.

"BA! We hafta hurry. What if he runs off or gets picked up or…?"

"Shut up, Fool. We goin' back for your stupid paper dog."

Murdock sighed in exaggerated relief as BA pulled into the turning lane of the next intersection and executed a perfect U-Turn.

Murdock focused on the other side of the road, looking for his dog until a siren started up right behind the van. "Uh, did you just make an illegal U-turn, BA?"

BA growled and sped up, maneuvering in between the cars on the road. The poor cop tried hard but was no match for BA's driving skills and soon fell behind.

"Good job, Big Guy! Looks like we lost him. Now we can go back for my dog." Murdock announced.

"We ain't goin' back nowhere, Fool. That cop probably patrollin' that street. Besides, now we late cause you was messin' around with a piece of paper!"

"But, BA…"

BA's features started to pinch together and his ringed fingers flexed on the steering wheel.

"Never mind." Murdock pouted, sinking down into the seat. "I just hope he finds a good home."

'3, 4…'

Fifteen minutes late. BA hated making the kids wait but there wasn't much he could do about it now. He glanced at Murdock as they pulled into the daycare center parking lot. He could at least try to control the crazy. BA pulled around behind the storage shed and parked. He switched off the ignition and turned to fix Murdock with a hard stare.

"Look, Fool, I got bidness to do here so don't be messin' around. You here to help, not put your crazy, fool ideas in them kids' heads, you got it?"

"Aye-Aye, Sir!" Murdock saluted crisply and then ruined it with a mischievous grin that let BA know he'd most likely be chasing him out of the center within the hour.

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BA was sitting in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by kids, bikes and bike parts. Off to his right on the basketball court, a reenactment of Robin Hood was being portrayed in earnest by the younger kids, led by Murdock. Playing the Sheriff of Nottingham and using his vast array of silly voices to narrate, Murdock had most of the children dissolving into giggles every few minutes. BA smiled inwardly. He loved seeing the kids having fun and he had to admit, grudgingly, that Murdock was a great help here. The children seemed to love when he visited. 'Probably because they have the same maturity level', BA thought and then snickered under his breath. He had just turned back to the bike he was working on when a rubber arrow smacked him in the side of his arm.

"Beware, my fellow lawmen! Beasts dwell in this forest. I have one in my sights now!"

The children, including the newly minted bike mechanics, giggled behind their hands, waiting to see BA's reaction.

Not one to disappoint children, BA gave an exaggerated growl and a semi-stern look before softening it with a smile. The giggling continued and BA's smile widened. Not even Murdock's crazy antics were going to ruin this day for BA.

Fifteen minutes until he could call his momma. BA planned out the route in his head. If he dropped Murdock off at 11:30am to meet with Hannibal, that still gave him enough time, with a little room for any unforeseen delays, to get to Bakersfield and make the call before his momma left Virginia's house. BA gave the kids some encouragement on the job they were doing and continued with the lesson.

He had just started helping the last kid replace the chain on his bike when Patti, the assistant director, rushed over to them.

"You have a phone call, BA and it seems quite urgent."

BA was halfway to the phone before Patti had a chance to wonder what she was supposed to do with the child staring at her, holding a bike chain.

"Yeah." BA said before the phone was all the way up to his ear. He sensed Murdock was already standing behind him, on alert. He tipped the receiver so the pilot could hear the conversation.

"Mr. Johnson, I've misplaced that 2nd file. Would you mind seeing if you can locate it?"

BA sighed. Hannibal and his codes.

"Yeah, I'm on it, man."

"Please make sure to let me know when you find it and inform me immediately if there's any change in our lunch meeting today." Hannibal's accent was crisp and business-like and would only be recognizable to the team.

BA hung up on his end and Murdock immediately took the receiver from BA, reset the line and dialed Face's condo. BA rushed off to tell Patti he had to leave for the day.


	4. Chapter 4

Across town, Face was dreaming about triplets. Blonde, buxom, beautiful triplets, when a crash had him up out of bed and grabbing for the gun in the nightstand before he was conscious of the action. The woman who had been sleeping next to him - what the hell was her name? - started screaming at the top of her lungs and pulled frantically at the bedsheet, trying to cover herself, as Lynch and four MPs burst through the bedroom door, guns drawn.

"Drop it, Peck!" Lynch ordered

"I'm sorry, Lynch. What was that?" Face cupped his hand around his ear and motioned that he couldn't hear him over what's-her-name's hysterical screaming.

Lynch glanced at the half-naked woman and blushed furiously. He quickly turned his attention back to Face and gestured at the gun in his hand as he raised his own gun a little higher. Lynch ordered two of the MPs to remove the girl as Face set his gun down on the ground in front of him and then stood back up, hands raised in surrender.

The MPs each grabbed an arm and helped the girl off the bed as she clung to the sheet. Her screams turned to protests as she demanded to know what was going on and to be allowed to get dressed.

Face decided to take a stab in the dark and said, in his most reassuring tone, "Everything will be ok, these men are military police. They won't hurt you, Tammy."

She stopped struggling with the MPs and Face felt a flash of snugness, until she flung her platinum hair over her shoulder and glared at him. "It's Sandra." she replied icily as she was escorted out of the room.

Face shrugged apologetically.

Now that the bedroom door was open, hanging off its hinges, and the screaming had stopped, Face could hear the phone ringing in the living room. He surreptitiously glanced at his watch, which wasn't hard to do since he had his hands held up so the MPs wouldn't shoot him. He cursed to himself when he realized he'd missed check-in again. Maybe a 30-year sentence in the stockade didn't look so bad compared to the wrath of Hannibal.

Lynch picked up Face's shirt and pants off the back of an armchair and threw them at him. "Get dressed, Peck and then you're going to tell me exactly where Smith and Baracus are."

Face caught his clothes with one hand. He gave Lynch a thumbs up before he stepped into his pants. "Oh yeah. Sure thing. I think I saw Hannibal at the 7-Eleven down on Fairfax and BA, well, did you know he really likes bowling? He's probably down at the Lucky Strike right now."

Face slipped on his loafers and smiled at Lynch's obvious irritation. He gestured to his coat jacket, asking silent permission to put it on but Lynch ignored him. Face kept the smile as he lamented the lock picks that he was about to lose, nestled in their case in his jacket pocket.

"Handcuff this man and put him in the car." Lynch directed the remaining MPs. "It's just a matter of time, Peck. I'll capture Smith and Baracus just like I captured you - when they least expect it."

One MP held Face at gunpoint as the other one pulled his hands behind his back and tightened a pair of handcuffs around his wrists.

As he was marched into the hallway, Face noticed his neighbor, Mr. Simpkins talking with an official looking MP, who was writing in a notepad.

"That's him! I knew it! I knew you weren't a cardiologist!" Mr. Simpkins screamed at him, shaking a fist in his face as the MPs led him past. Face sighed as he thought back to the day last week when he'd helped the guy get back into his apartment after locking himself out. He knew he shouldn't have picked the lock, but he'd felt bad for the guy and he did love any opportunity to utilize his exceptional hand-eye coordination. Next time he'd call a locksmith.

The MPs pushed him forward toward the elevator and Face sighed again. Hannibal was not going to be pleased.

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Hannibal was not pleased. The voice overs on his latest part, "The Fiend from Farmington" were going a lot slower than he'd hoped, which meant BA and Murdock would be together a lot longer than was probably possible without bodily harm to his pilot. If that wasn't enough to distract Hannibal from the task at hand, Face had missed check-in. Again. At least he'd been able to send BA and Murdock to check on his lieutenant. For Face's sake, Hannibal hoped a woman wasn't involved in his reason for not calling.

"Ok, one more time from the top." the audio tech chirped.

Hannibal bit his tongue to stop himself from berating the flunky-in-charge and smiled condescendingly. For a role with no dialogue, it was sure taking a long time to tape the audio. He launched into a series of grunts and growls for the seventh, and hopefully last, time.

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BA held a tight grip on the steering wheel both because he was driving at break-neck speeds through the side streets of LA and he needed to keep total control of the van and also because it helped keep him focused on the problem at hand and not on the time.

"I sure hope Face is ok and Lynch didn't get him." Murdock worried from the passenger seat as he dialed Face's condo for the fourth time. "Maybe we should go get Hannibal first and then we can focus on findin' Face?"

"No, Fool. Hannibal said for us to check on Face. I'm sure he a'right."

"But..."

"You heard 'im. We gonna check on Face first and then meet with Hannibal. Now quit your jibber jabber and let me drive!" BA snapped. He snuck a quick glance at Murdock and felt slightly bad about making him be quiet. He knew the fool felt better when he could voice his concerns. BA looked at the time. Gardena was even closer than Bakersfield and he hadn't called from there yet. Face better not be sleeping in with some girl or BA was going to express his displeasure over his delayed plans with his fists.


	5. Chapter 5

Lynch walked out of the building into the bright sunshine, chest out, head up, strutting like a proud peacock. The entourage behind him consisted of two military police holding Face by his arms and two behind, guns drawn and pointed at their prisoner. There were another two guards stationed by the caravan of sedans in the parking lot off to the right.

Lynch came to a stop and turned, stepping right into Face's personal space.

"This is it, Lieutenant. I'll see you back at Bragg." he said softly, smugness radiating off of him.

Face held the stare calmly, even though he felt anything but calm inside - until he heard the familiar chug of the van's engine and caught the flash of black out of the corner of his eye. "Thanks Colonel, but it's a little too cold for me in North Carolina. I like the sunshine."

Face tilted his head up, sighing contentedly as the sun hit his face and then threw his head forward, smashing Lynch's nose, right as the van flew through the parking lot and screeched to a halt 10 yards away. Murdock flung open the side door and fired short bursts of gunfire over everyone's heads, drawing the attention, and return fire, of the rest of the MPs as Face's forward momentum surprised the two guards holding him. He wrenched his arms free, leaped over Lynch who was now on the ground holding his nose, and dove head first into the van.

"Go, BA!" he managed as he braced his feet against the door frame so he didn't tumble back out into the parking lot as BA gunned the engine and raced away. Murdock continued firing, hitting as many car tires as he could.

Falling back into Hannibal's rear facing seat, Murdock closed the side door and helped Face up.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Jammed my shoulder. And I had to leave my lock picks in the condo. Would you hand me the spare?" Face asked Murdock, indicating the kit in the side pouch of his seat.

"Quit worryin' 'bout your lock picks, Face. You lucky we got here in time." BA admonished.

"It was a nice set, but you're right. Thanks, BA!" Face smiled at him.

"Why you missed check-in again? It better not have anythin' to do with some lady."

Face grimaced and tried for a distractionary stretch of his shoulder. "I really landed hard. We have any ice in here?"

BA growled.

"Need some help?" Murdock offered as he held up a small lock pick.

Face smiled gratefully and turned around so Murdock could get at the handcuffs.

The first lock sprung open and Face turned around, rolling the kink out of his neck. He took the lock pick from Murdock and started in on the second cuff.

"Where's Hannibal?"

"We meetin' him for lunch." BA didn't bother to hide the irritation in his voice. "Murdock, call and tell 'im we on the way. And we got the stupid file." He glowered back towards Face.

"He tried callin' you, Faceman. So did we." Murdock informed him, rolling his eyes at the sheepish look that suddenly came over his friend's face. "What was her name?"

Face groaned. What was her name again? Sarah? Sally? "Uh…"

BA pursed his lips. '1, 2…'


	6. Chapter 6

BA pulled the van into the Captain Belly Buster's lot and parked around the side, waiting for Hannibal to show up. BA lamented the fact that they couldn't use the drive-thru since it would be faster but it wasn't worth the risk of being caught in a line they couldn't easily get away from if they were spotted.

He looked at the clock on the dash. There was only about an hour left to call his momma before she left Mrs. Hines' house. He kneaded the steering wheel hard with both hands. At this point, he could probably make it to Culver City if Hannibal showed up in the next five minutes. Or if he left Face and Murdock in the parking lot, which he was seriously considering.

Face had been sitting in the back, next to Murdock, listening patiently to the pilot's story - ok, pretending to listen patiently, but actually reliving the dream with the triplets - when a soft growl from BA caught his attention. He looked up and noticed the tension radiating off of the man. Glancing back at Murdock, he figured he had about 30 seconds before BA ran out of patience.

"Hey, uh, Murdock?"

"Wait, Face, this is the part where the Chihuahua was telling me all about BA's sleeping habits. I didn't get to finish the story this morning either and I'm sure BA wants to hear it."

He looked to BA expectantly to affirm his interest in the story and was met with a growl, which he ignored.

"She's such a good, little dog. So concerned about others. I was thinkin' her and Billy-"

"That's great, Murdock but why don't you go in and order the food? Hannibal should be here any minute."

"You got it, Faceman. The usual?"

Face nodded and watched his friend head toward the restaurant.

"Everything ok, BA?"

Startled that Face had noticed anything - BA was always extra careful not to draw attention to himself on his special Tuesdays - he glared back into the rearview mirror.

"Hannibal better get here quick. That fool drivin' me crazy!"

Face opened his mouth to respond just as Hannibal pulled his non-descript car into the spot next to the open van door.

"Perfect timing, Colonel."

As Hannibal climbed into his usual seat in the front of the van, he took a quick assessment of its occupants.

"Murdock gettin' the food." BA answered before Hannibal could ask.

"Good, BA, but you guys are late. I circled around here for half an hour." Hannibal patted BA on the shoulder and slowly turned around to face his second-in-command. The stern look he shot towards him had Face squirming in his seat.

"Report, Lieutenant. Or would you like to wait until a more convenient time?"

Face's gulp was audible. "Colonel, I, uh - "

BA gripped the wheel a little harder. He didn't have time for this.

"Lynch had him when Murdock and me got there, Hannibal. The MPs had him handcuffed and was about to put him in the car and take him away. We got him out and everythin' ok now." BA interrupted. "We late 'cause I made sure no one was followin' us."

Hannibal and Face both looked at BA incredulously, for slightly different reasons. Neither were sure they'd heard BA use so many words at one time in a very long time, if ever.

Hannibal paused to light his cigar and studied BA carefully. Without looking away from his Sergeant, he asked, "What happened, Face?"

"I was in the condo when Lynch and his cronies busted down the door and took me into custody."

Hannibal sat quietly, contemplating his cigar. Face and BA both watched him anxiously.

"And what time was this, Lieutenant? Before or after you missed check-in?"

Face hemmed and hawed and stuttered a few times before he was saved by Murdock leaping into the van, his hands full of bags of food. "Hiya, Colonel! Got you your favorite. BA, they were out of vanilla shakes so I got you chocolate…" Murdock paused and looked around at the team as he sensed the tension in the van. "What's the up, guys?"

"Face was just telling me all about his run-in with Lynch this morning. Isn't that right, Lieutenant?"

"Oh, yeah!" Murdock crowed. "If we'd a gotten there any later, Lynch would'a carted him off to the stockade. Did you remember your lady friend's name yet, Face?"

Face groaned, BA growled and Hannibal glared.

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Twenty minutes later, Hannibal had finished Face's dressing down and they'd all finished their lunch. BA had counted the minutes in his head. He could still make it to at least Crenshaw with a few minutes to spare if he left right now.

"Face, take my car and drop Murdock off at the VA." Hannibal ordered, holding out the keys. "BA and I will swing by and see about your car, make sure the trail is cold."

Face opened his mouth to protest, quickly thought better of it and grabbed the keys.

"Let's go, Murdock."

"Hannibal, I got some stuff I gotta do." BA said quietly. Hannibal would have thought he looked anxious if he didn't know any better.

"Ok, Sergeant. Let's swing by the condo and see if Lynch impounded Face's car yet. You can either drop me off there or at my apartment."

BA sighed internally. Hannibal was obviously in no mood to be argued with after the debacle with Face. He'd have to settle for sending his momma a postcard this month.

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An hour later, BA and Hannibal had driven past the condo and found both the military and Face's car gone. Hannibal had donned a disguise and snuck back into the condo, where he retrieved Face's jacket and his lock picks and swept the place to make sure there wasn't anything left to tip Lynch off to the team's whereabouts.

BA sat in the van, waiting for Hannibal to return.

A short man, wearing tennis clothes and carrying a duffle bag walked around the corner of the building and stopped short when he saw BA in the van. He shot a nervous glance over his shoulder and then turned abruptly and ran back toward the building's entrance.

BA's head thumped back into the headrest in defeat. This was just not his day.

Five minutes later, when the Colonel finally appeared, BA tapped the horn and motioned for him to hurry.

Hannibal jogged the last few yards to the van, which looked ridiculous since he was disguised as an elderly cleaning woman, wearing a grey wig and a crisp white apron over a housecoat.

"What's going on, Sergeant?"

"Some dude saw me sittin' here and was actin' all nervous."

"Well then let's get outta here." Hannibal motioned toward the street.

"I need to fill up the tank, man."

"There's a gas station at the end of the block. Let's step on it, BA. That guy might've called the police."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thanks to those that reviewed this story. The ending feels a little unfinished to me but I wanted to get this one completed so I can work on the next story which I'm really excited about! I may edit this chapter a little in the future but for now, hope you enjoy.**_

BA was in a foul mood. He'd had to run out of the daycare without fixing Andre's bike, he'd spent a good chunk of his day trying to get away from Lynch, his van had been damaged from Hannibal's stunt, and worst of all, he'd missed the phone call with his momma. Now he had to wait another month to talk to her and to find out if she needed anything for the summer.

He pulled his van into a shadowy, out-of-the-way parking space in the garage and got a flashlight out of the glove box. He walked around to inspect the scratch again. It started on the passenger side door and continued out onto the sliding door. BA clenched his fists, pursed his lips and closed his eyes. '1, 2, 3... Maybe he could add detailing after he sanded the scratch out and repainted the doors. Red would look nice.' he thought. He'd figure that out tomorrow. All BA wanted to do right now was sit in his room, watch some TV, drink some milk and forget this day had ever happened. He turned to head into his apartment when the shrill sound of the phone in the van made him stop short.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down before he answered. '4, 5…' It didn't work.

"What?" he growled, nearly pulling the cord out of the plug.

"BA! I need you to come get me, real fast. I'm in Sunnyvale."

He was instantly concerned, all the anger and frustration vanished when he heard the urgency in Murdock's voice. "Why you out there, Fool? Why you ain't at the hospital?"

"I'll explain when you get here, BA. Come now! Please?" Murdock pleaded, rattling off the address.

"On my way." BA assured him as he jumped back in the van and headed out.

Twenty-four minutes later, BA pulled up to a building with 'Bell Labs' written across the doors. The place was shut down for the day, the lights off and the parking lot empty.

He circled the building once before he saw Murdock, just stepping out of the shadow of the building.

"What goin' on?" BA asked as he rolled the van up next to the pilot. Murdock didn't look hurt and he didn't see anyone else around.

Murdock jumped in and pointed around to the back. "Drive around and park, BA. We hafta get inside. Face needs us in there."

"What?! Why is Face here? He ok? You better tell me what's goin' on!"

"Face is fine. I'll tell you, I promise Big Guy, but we hafta get inside now." Murdock pleaded, looking at his watch.

BA mumbled under his breath about fools and crazy team members as he drove around to the back of the building and parked. Murdock led him to the back door, pulled it open and gestured for him to hurry inside. BA scoffed and waved him off with a ringed hand but he went in anyway.

Murdock ushered him through the halls like he'd been there before and knew where he was going. They came to a door marked 'Communications' and Murdock opened it and pushed BA inside. The light was on and there stood Face and Hannibal, shoulder to shoulder, blocking the view of whatever was behind them. They both had giant grins on their faces and Murdock yelled 'Surprise!' in his ear.

BA started to growl.

Face startled and looked to Hannibal who motioned and they each took a step to the side in opposite directions. BA was stunned into silence as he saw the most glorious site he'd seen in a very long time.

On the desk sat a microphone, a camera and a tiny monitor. On the monitor was his very own, in the flesh, smiling from ear-to-ear with tears in her eyes, Momma!

"Scooter!" she choked out, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Momma." BA's voice was barely a whisper as he stared in awe at his beloved mother. Without tearing his eyes away, afraid she'd disappear if he did, he asked, "How? How'd you do this?"

"This magic was all your friends, Baby."

Murdock, being closest to the door, waved at the screen and patted BA on the shoulder as he walked out. Hannibal slung an arm around BA's shoulders. "You didn't really think we didn't know, did you?" Hannibal asked with a grin, tipping his head to Mrs. Baracus before he, too disappeared out the door.

Face cleared his throat and pulled out a chair for BA in front of the set-up as he checked his watch. "You have 26 minutes, BA. We'll be out in the lobby, just come get us when you're done." He smiled at the monitor. "Mrs. Baracus."

Face closed the door behind him and BA sat down, still amazed that he could see his mother, sitting right there in front of him.

"How are you, Baby?" his momma asked, gently. "Your friends said you didn't have the best day today."

BA thought about all that had gone wrong and how disappointed he'd been that his plans had been ruined. Looking at his momma, none of that mattered now. He couldn't even fathom what his team had done to make this happen for him. But how had they known? BA felt a flash of gratitude.

"Nah, Momma. This the best day I've had in a long time."


End file.
